When we think about high tea, we usually imagine a huge spread of sandwiches and scones – but high tea at Lobby Lounge at Pan Pacific Orchard was much more, with a focus on quality over quantity.
Although the selection was on the small side, the quality was top notch. There was sushi, four types of cheese and a variety of smoked salmon. The dessert half of the table had platters of lychee shortcake, raspberry cheesecake and more. On weekdays, the Lobby Lounge also features a live station of honey-baked ham, served with grilled pineapple. This is switched out for two different live stations over the weekend: Wagyu beef and Spanish-bred Iberian-cured ham.
The buffet spread changes daily according to the creativity of the chefs at Pan Pacific, so don’t expect repetition if you’re a repeat customer. We were wowed by the Plates of Pleasures, a menu that guests canay order from repeatedly over the course of the meal. The selection is limited to four dishes, but they’re more than enough to satisfy.
Topping the must-try list is the hotel’s famous peddler’s char kway teow, a dish that has won awards from the Global Hotel Alliance. We’re hardly char kway teow fans ourselves, but the Penang-style stir fried noodles blew us away. The noodles are springy and not as oily as the average char kway teow. Each mouthful was packed with the distinct smoky flavour that only true wok-fried noodles would have. The serving was packed with crabmeat, Vietnamese tiger prawns, Chinese sausage and cockles.
The spicy prawn noodle broth had us wishing we had room for more. The broth was gloriously thick and tasty without being too salty, and the hint of spiciness was well balanced – enough to taste it, but not too much that the flavour was affected. The noodles were fresh and perfectly done as well. Unfortunately the other Plates of Pleasure didn’t quite match up to the char kway teow and prawn noodles.
Throughout the course of the meal we were served the gold Moscato tea. This fragrant and fruity brew tastes of white muscat grapes, and it was a great accompaniment.
High tea is served from 2pm-5pm and priced at $32++ (weekdays) and $42++ (weekends).
Lobby Lounge, Pan Pacific Orchard, 10 Claymore Road, Singapore 229540. +65 6831 6685.
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